One Hour
by Megane 6.7
Summary: An hour before a new year dawns, Ranma and Kasumi find themselves releasing a lot of pent up feelings about life in general


"ONE HOUR"  
  
(A Ranma 1/2 Fanfic)  
  
From the Desk of Megane 6.7 (megane67@rogers.com)  
  
This is a work of Fiction. All Characters and Landmarks, are the   
property of Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan Video, Kitty Films,   
Viz Video, Shonen Sunday, and anyone else who legally owns the   
rights.   
  
  
DECEMBER 31, 1996  
THE TENDO DOJO  
11:00 P.M.  
  
  
The sounds of mass celebration were still within earshot of   
Ranma Saotome as he lay on the roof of the Tendo Dojo with his   
arms by his sides. It was a beautiful night and the full moon was in   
perfect view. Ranma had given up trying to sleep hours ago and   
was now content to stargaze until he fell tired.  
  
"I don't see what the big deal is about the new year coming   
and all." Ranma thought to himself as he gazed upwards at the sea of  
stars. "When it finally comes, I'll still be stuck with three fiancees   
and I'll still have my curse. It's not like I can start over again or   
nothing."  
  
Ranma sighed to himself as he recalled some of the events of  
the past year that had happened to him. "It's almost like nothing has  
changed at all. Akane still hits me all the time, I'm still being   
challenged by weirdoes and pursued by perverts all the time.   
Shampoo won't leave me alone. I still can't see mom as a guy and I'm   
failing math in school. If anything life's gotten worse for me! At  
least when I was on the road all the time I only had to put up with   
Pop. Of course, being on the road with Pop is what lead me to all my   
troubles in the first place....   
  
"Ranma?"  
  
Ranma was startled out of his thoughts as he turned to the   
source of the voice and saw Kasumi standing on a ladder against the   
house. She had a look of curiosity and concern on her face. "Is   
everything all right Ranma?"  
  
"Oh it's you. I'm okay. Just can't sleep."  
  
"Sleep? Don't you want to see the coming of the new year?"  
Kasumi asked him.  
  
"Why?" Ranma replied wearily. "Nothing's going to change  
anyway."   
  
Suddenly Kasumi started to climb up on the roof. Ranma   
was mildly surprised by this but nonetheless sat up and gave her a   
helping hand as she crawled across the ceramic tiles and lay   
down beside where Ranma was a moment ago. Ranma wondered if   
Kasumi would be safe up here but after a few moments and no sign of   
her sliding off, Ranma resumed his spot a few feet away from   
her and stared up into the sky again.  
  
"Why do you say that?" Kasumi asked as she joined him in  
stargazing.  
  
"It's just... all these things have been happening to me all   
year and it seems like nothing I've done has had a lasting effect. I'm  
still knee-deep in trouble." Ranma replied somberly.  
  
"Why do you think nothing has changed Ranma?" Kasumi   
asked curiously.  
  
"Because all of my problems are still here. You'd think in a   
whole year's time I'd be able to deal with at least one of my problems   
but just when I think I've got it solved, something happens to mess it   
up all over again! Either that or a new problem develops! I can't   
keep up at this rate!"  
  
"Things aren't as bad as they seem." Kasumi said.  
  
"Oh yeah? How have things changed? I have enemies out   
for my blood, perverts out for my girl side, promises that *I* never  
made...." Ranma retorted.  
  
"What promises are you referring to exactly?" Kasumi   
wondered aloud.  
  
"Everything!" Ranma shouted with exasperation. "Pop  
made me decide between Ucchan and okonomiyaki when I was too  
young to understand what he meant! "Pop promised for me that I'd  
marry Akane and that I'd grow up to be a man among men for my   
mother! Thanks to him, I can't even tell my mom that her son is   
right here....  
  
Kasumi's eyes began to grow misty "I... I know it's hard to   
pretend to be someone else when you're with your mother...."  
  
"Hard?! It sucks!" Ranma growled.   
  
"...But at least you have a mother to talk to...." Kasumi's   
voice was full of sadness.  
  
Ranma suddenly felt his heart grow cold as he realized what  
Kasumi meant. He immediately became apologetic. "I'm... I'm   
sorry... I forgot about...."  
  
Kasumi tried her best to smile. "It's all right. I'm just trying  
to point out that at least you have a mother to hug and talk to, even if  
you're pretending to be someone else. When my mother died, Father  
fell apart emotionally and it was up to me to take care of Akane and   
Nabiki because he couldn't bear to talk about her without bursting   
into tears. I forced myself to be strong so I could help everyone else  
through it so I mourned in private where no one could see me because  
I didn't want to upset them any further."  
  
Ranma swallowed hard as he considered Kasumi's words.   
"Maybe you're right. I am lucky that I can see her at all but it still   
sucks that I can't be who I am, who she wants to see most of all, who  
I want to be most of all...."  
  
"A man." Kasumi guessed,  
  
"Yeah... I admit being a girl has had it's advantages in the   
past but I'd GLADLY give it all up to never be a girl again! To not   
be chased and pawed and gawked at by freaks like Happosai and   
Kunou and Mikado and...."  
  
"I see your point. But hasn't being a girl given you an idea  
on how we feel about certain things?  
  
"Such as?" Ranma frowned.  
  
"You wonder why Akane keeps hitting you yet you call her   
things like uncute and tomboy...."  
  
"She starts it! She calls me a pervert and a jerk! She never   
believes anything I say and she always takes her anger out on me!   
Besides, I'm only being honest with her! She acts like a tomboy!"  
  
"She just hasn't gotten along very well with boys. Remember,   
they used to attack her every morning before you arrived and that   
Kunou person used to ask her out on dates all the time. You both got   
off on the wrong foot when she walked in on you in the bathroom...."  
  
"She still blames me for that?! She walked in on me! How   
does that make ME a pervert!?" a frustrated Ranma replied. "Besides  
my point is that except for a few minor things, nothing has really   
changed! Why should I look forward to something like a new year   
anyway?"  
  
"Maybe things will go better this year than the last. There's  
always hope." Kasumi replied softly as she lay back   
  
Ranma looked over at Kasumi. "How do you do it Kasumi?  
How do you manage to be so cheerful, year after year?"  
  
Kasumi was silent for a long moment, giving serious   
consideration to the question.  
  
"I... I guess it's partly because I've had to be strong for   
everyone else's sake when mother died. I never really had time to  
be sad. So I convinced myself to always look on the bright side of  
a situation, no matter how grim it may be."  
  
"But I've seen you get upset before...." Ranma remarked.  
  
"It's not a matter of being upset as it is trying to see the   
positive aspects of something. It's... It's hard to put into words. It's   
similar to putting a candle in a dark room. No matter how dark and   
vast the room may be, it can't block out the light of that candle, no   
matter how small it may be. Do you understand?"  
  
"I... I think I do." Ranma's face was unusually contemplative  
as he digested Kasumi's words and their meaning.  
  
There was another long pause while they both watched the   
night sky.  
  
"Kasumi, can I ask you a question?" Ranma suddenly spoke up.  
  
"Of course, Ranma." Kasumi replied while still staring up.  
  
"When I... that is... when Pop brought me to your house for   
the first time and you knew your dad wanted one of you to marry   
me... Did you have any interest in me at all?"  
  
"Honestly... no." Kasumi replied in a quiet voice. "I was   
caught off guard by your transformation into a girl. I... I panicked."  
  
"And that's why you and Nabiki convinced our parents Akane   
was the best choice?"  
  
"Well... Akane did hate boys... It seemed to be the proper...."  
Kasumi stopped and sighed. "No. The truth is we were both scared   
and we used Akane to escape. I'm ashamed to admit it but I wasn't   
ready to marry someone who changed into a girl. None of us were.   
But I still pushed for Akane." Kasumi lowered her head in shame   
and embarrassment. "I'm sorry."  
  
Ranma gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay... I   
know it was a tough spot to be in. At the time, all I wanted to do was   
go back to China and get cured. I *loathed* being a girl, to be stared   
at and ridiculed... I must have really scared you, huh?"  
  
"But I should have been the one... I mean... I was supposed   
to be the strong one, to take responsibility when no one else could or   
would... I know now that I should have been the one to accept the   
engagement but I was too frightened...."   
  
Ranma's eyes were very wide as he exclaimed. "You would   
have let yourself be engaged to someone you didn't even know? Just   
like that?"  
  
"Why not? You accepted it easily enough." Kasumi pointed out.  
  
"Well...." Ranma placed his hand behind his head. "I don't   
know if accept is the right word... tolerate, maybe. But you always   
had a choice."  
  
"Did I? Sometimes I wonder if I truly did. I know Nabiki   
would have rather died than accept this engagement against her will,   
because she used to always being in control of a situation. And if   
Akane hadn't eventually accepted your engagement, I have little doubt   
the responsibility would have eventually fallen to me."  
  
"Accepted? Since when did Akane accept our engagement?!   
All she does is accuse me of things I haven't done and hit me with her   
mallet!"  
  
"Ranma... have you ever asked yourself why she does that?   
Why she can't stand the thought of another girl near you, and why she   
constantly fights with you?"  
  
"Because she's an uncute, sexless tomboy with an   
unreasonable temper?" Ranma replied with a straight face.  
  
Kasumi sighed. "Never mind. Someday perhaps, you'll   
figure it out. What I'm trying to say is that it was my duty to accept   
the engagement. My family means more to me than life itself. I have   
given myself to them and this house completely, forsaking everything   
else. When I tried to pass you off on Akane, it was the first time in a   
long time that I was thinking of myself, that I didn't want to be   
engaged to a boy who was three years younger than me and changed   
into a girl. It made me feel so bad that I thought of myself over   
others....  
  
Kasumi lapsed into silence again while Ranma tried to make   
sense of what she was saying. "It... It sounds to me like you're   
punishing yourself for being selfish, but what you did wasn't selfish,   
it was a matter of choice. Granted Akane wasn't interested in me   
either but if it had been me in your place, I would have done the same   
thing."  
  
Kasumi remained silent while Ranma continued. "I'm not   
very good at talking like this. To be honest, I prefer to fight a   
problem rather than solve it and that's gotten me into more trouble   
than I care to admit. But it's still my choice whether or not I want to   
eventually marry Akane. Pop keeps telling me it's a matter of honor   
but then he ignores his promise of honor to Ucchan, not to mention   
every other girl he promised me to in exchange for food.  
  
Ranma took a deep breath as he continued. "I don't blame   
you for not wanting me. If you had, look at all the problems you   
would have been stuck with. Believe me, you were lucky."  
  
Kasumi looked up at Ranma and suddenly began to laugh.   
It was a joyful sound, like a soothing melody.   
  
"What'd I say?" Ranma was puzzled.  
  
Kasumi just laughed harder at that. Soon she was laughing   
so hard she could barely keep her balance on the roof. Then she   
eventually stopped laughing and wiped her eyes. "I'm... I'm sorry... I   
was just laughing at the irony... I came up here to cheer you up and   
now here you are cheering me up. It just struck me as funny. I don't   
know why."  
  
Ranma smiled at that. Then he stared at Kasumi as if   
noticing something for the first time.  
  
"What is it?" Kasumi asked, curious at what had captured   
his attention.  
  
"It's... It's nothing... Don't worry about it." Ranma tried to   
shrug it off.  
  
"No, what is it?" Kasumi insisted.  
  
Ranma was quiet for a long moment. "It's just... this may   
sound silly but until now, I've never seen you laugh. I always see you   
smile, but I've never seen you laugh."  
  
Kasumi froze. Solid. Her hand went to her mouth   
immediately. Her face was a mask of shock.  
  
"Kasumi? Is everything all right?" A concerned Ranma   
asked as he walked closer to her.   
  
"I-It's just...." Kasumi stammered. "You're right... I   
haven't laughed since... since my mother died."  
  
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean...."  
  
"It's okay... It never occurred to me until now. I always put on   
a smile whenever people needed it but when something was funny, I   
just couldn't make myself laugh, no matter how hard I tried. No one   
seemed to notice so after a while I stopped trying."  
  
Ranma felt a lump growing in his throat. "Kasumi, when   
was the last time you felt like yourself?"  
  
Kasumi seemed to flinch slightly as she replied. "W... What   
do you mean?"  
  
"I mean when was the last time you felt something like this...."  
  
Ranma suddenly but gently placed his arms around Kasumi.   
Then he gently brought her chin up to face him and tilted his head   
forward....  
  
Kasumi's eyes were wide and frightened, she wanted to pull   
away and yet her body refused to let her, betraying her true feelings   
and need for someone. She closed her eyes as her lips met with   
Ranma's.  
  
She had not been kissed by anybody for a long time. While   
she had tried it a few times when she was in pre-school, she had never   
had a boyfriend of her own. A part of her wanted to break away, to   
say this was wrong and that she was betraying her sister....  
  
But she wanted this kiss, needed this kiss so badly that she   
wrapped her own arms around Ranma's neck and held him tight.   
For that moment, Kasumi was truly happy for the first time in years.  
  
Then Kasumi released the kiss, Ranma was almost reluctant   
to do so but nonetheless complied. Kasumi smiled again, only this   
time it was different somehow, as if the other one no longer suited her.  
  
"Thank you, Ranma. I needed that." Kasumi said.  
  
"I... I think I did too...." Ranma remarked as they both   
laughed. Meanwhile the sounds of celebration were growing louder   
around them. It was one minute to the new year, when old   
acquaintances would be forgotten, new promises made and broken....  
  
Kasumi and Ranma resumed their places on the roof and   
watched as the dark sky began to erupt with fireworks. Kasumi and   
Ranma watched the colorful display of colors with awe as they could   
hear the final countdown until the new year.  
  
5....  
  
"Ranma...." Kasumi whispered.  
  
4....  
  
"Yes, Kasumi....?" Ranma whispered back.  
  
3....  
  
"I never told this to anyone...." Kasumi began.  
  
2....  
  
"Said what?" Ranma replied, puzzled.  
  
1....  
  
"I'll whisper it to you...." Kasumi leaned closer.  
  
"HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!"  
  
Ranma's eyes went wide as he heard Kasumi's confession.   
Then he smiled and whispered something back to Kasumi as the   
celebration around them reached it's peak.  
  
"Sometimes, I feel the same way."   
  
  
THE END  
  
  
What did Kasumi say to Ranma? I leave it to your imagination.  
  
I hope you like this version better than the previous one. C&C is   
more than welcome, it's needed! ;) (megane67@rogers.com)  
  
You can find my other works at:  
  
'A MSTing for All Seasons'  
http://www.nabiki.com/mst 


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